Today began just like every day has with breakfast down on the ground floor of the hotel. After getting breakfast, it was time to take the London Underground to our destination for today; the Victoria & Albert Museum. The walk wasn’t that far from the station and when we got inside, we headed to the exhibition that was planned for us for the day, which was Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion. This exhibition shows the work and legacy of influential Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga, with over 100 pieces crafted by ‘the master’ of couture, his protégées, and contemporary fashion designers working in the same innovative tradition. There were two floors to this exhibition, which allowed for it to be less crowded on the ground level. On the second level, videos were shown of the artists that had made the pieces that were being displayed, allowing for the viewer to get a deeper explanation and see the artists thought process. Once finishing the exhibition, we were allowed to walk through the rest of the museum, where they had more clothing, historical artifacts, and lots of jewelry. It was incredible to see all of the history that was displayed at this museum. I was really fascinated by seeing all of the incredible history that I wouldn’t have learned in the classroom. After walking through the museum, it was time to head over to the Natural History Museum that was right around the corner. We were to expect that this museum was an example of bad wayfinding and our expectations were met.

When first walking into the museum, a pamphlet with a map of the museum is given to you. When you look at the map however, it’s not what you’d expect. When looking at the map, there are a couple of things that are off. First, there is no 2nd floor put onto the map, even though there are 2 floors in the building. Second, they had used the same icon for multiple places (such as the gift shop logo for not only the gift shop, but the dino store as well). Finally, half of the icons that were provided were not used on the map itself. This was a surprise to me since I would expect that a museum like this would have a better wayfinding system. Also, when trying to find the exit, there were signs pointing everywhere which made trying to find the exit a lot harder than it should of been. Only when we asked a worker at the museum is when we were able to find the exit. After finally leaving the museum, it was decided that the little group that I was in would head over to the Tower of London. Before that though, we went to Wagamama and it was delicious!

After our food break, it was time to head into the Tower of London. It was decided that we would go with the guided tour, which allowed us to learn about the history of the property. I believe this was the right decision because it allowed us to gain information that we probably didn’t know about before. After receiving the guided tour, it was time to adventure off into the the rest of the tower. When looking around, I thought it was amazing on how long this iconic landmark has been standing. The most fascinating thing about walking through the Tower of London was being able to see the Crown Jewels. Being able to see so much history in one small space was amazing. Also, all of the jewelry that was on display was jaw dropping. All of the gold and silver that was on display made me think about the rich history that was right in front of me. This made me appreciate my time being here and lucky enough to be able to see all of this. I would give today an 10/10 rating which comes down to a 52/50 so far.

Day 3 was a day to remember. Although it was the most tiring I do have to say, It was the most inspiring and made me think a lot more. We started off at the The Design Museum which held the Exhibit, “California: Designing Freedom”. As soon as I saw the name of the museum hung above me on the wall just outside the entrance, I knew this was going to be filled with everything we’ve been itching to see. The simplicity and lighting from the moment we entered made a bold statement especially in comparison to the different entrances we have seen previously. We entered the exhibit and not even five minutes in all you could hear was each and every one of us excitedly explaining what we just saw in a glass case on the other side and how amazing it truly was. It was something special to see posters that have made an impact in the past, and designs that changed the world. It was everywhere and all I could really think to myself was, the world is truly based on design and we are the future. I could never imagine being the artist behind some of these works…how was this talent even possible?!

After the design museum our stomachs grumbled and we knew it was time for something to eat to fuel us for the rest of the day as it felt our knuckles began to drag on the ground in defeat. Somehow we managed to coordinate for every single one of us to enjoy a lunch together, its kind of as if we like each other or something. After lunch, happy and full, we roamed Kensington to browse the shops and streets.

My excitement grew for that night because we were going to the Broadway show, “Wicked”. I have been lucky enough to have seen this whimsical play before with my senior class in high school on our class trip, and I had absolutely no problem seeing this work of wonder again. Afterwards, like clockwork, stomachs roared yet again and we began to hunt for something to eat. To my surprise London isn’t like I am and stays up till 4 in the morning, no… they shut down for 11 o’clock. This was a blessing in disguise as majority of us decided to cram ourselves into a single hotel room fit for two and order in. We continued our bond over food, design, and a quite loud sense of humor. Yet another day has passed with many miles covered and I am so happy I have the privilege of taking part in a trip like this.

Hayley

We started this day off by going to the Design Museum which was by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. There was catalogs of texhnolies and they had things from world of Warcraft, to go pro cameras, google maps, to self driving cars, and a downloadable printed cardboard surfboard. This museum also had extremely detailed gauche paintings I found incredible, especially after using that paint in color theory class and seeing how hard it was to work with. I also really enjoyed seeing the emoji wallpaper. After this we all visited the gift store and we bacially spent at least 30 minutes lookin at the design book section but could have stayed there all day. I took pictures of some books that costed a fortune to hopefully find cheaper online when I’m back home. Me and one friend checked out the other floors of the museum and couldn’t find everyone else but they were at the cafe right next to where we lost them, so I had abbot of a head start looking around upstairs. We met and all did an activity and then we were on our own to see whatever we wanted to see!

All of us ate lunch at a place next door and then went out seperate ways from there. My group went to an art store and then to Saint Paul’s cathedral. Now this was another site that was mind blowing!! I could not even imagine the size of this building from learning about cathedrals in art history courses. We climbed countless stairs in a circle stairway that made me so dizzy. We arrived at a whisper wall where you can whisper on the wall and someone on the wall 30 feet away can hear what you say. It was unbelievable but extremely real. Then more stairs until the first opening to the air. Photos were not allowe inside but who could help but sneak a few before reaching outside, especially art majors. Now only me and one other person continued onto the last 150 steps to reach the very top of Saint Paul’s. Here we had a 360 degree view of the skyline of London which was a first for me. Pictures were slowed outside luckily and I took plenty. The hike back down was exhausting and we explored the World War Two addition of the church, and the crypts underneath.

After getting back to the hotel most of us went to the play wicked which was wicked awesome. The performers were amazing singers and I had not seen that play before and did not know the story! It want my first play or musical but it was very well done and the venue had good seats and a great setting. We got home so late we all ordered food from UberEATS and went to sleep.

Those who regularly visit the Victoria & Albert Museum may be familiar with the first Great Exhibition, held in the very spot where the museum rests. It was a global event designed to celebrate and showcase the world’s many great new innovations (one of which was photography).

The museum strives to provide visitors with a well-informed, experiential, and familiar (yet unbelievable) environment. Walking through the many rooms, one can view beds from the 1800s, sketches from the 1660s, jewelry and silver from the 1700s, and even myriad household items from the 20th century. If you think of anything, it could quite possibly be in that museum. I have visited before, so I know what some other halls contain, but I discovered so many new sections upon visiting a second time.

However, in my opinion, the best part about this museum is its interactive learning exhibits. Today, I was able to experience a Balenciaga convertible skirt/cape and a 1700s hoop and petticoat.

Although the garment was shown as a skirt in its exhibit case, none of us could contemplate how to tie it correctly. Thankfully, it also functioned as a cape, which was easy enough to figure out.

The newest way to smuggle CVS candy into the movie theatre.

Being able to experience something is one of the best ways to learn about it. This is why I love the V&A; most non-science museums are “look-but-don’t-touch”, but this museum encourages the immersive learning of all kinds of history.

On day 3 we experienced the wax museum and the British museum. There is just too much to see and I photographed everything I could. We started off by learning the tube (railway) again and how to connect onto another line. After this day we all pretty much mastered this transportation system and understood the card reader when we had to tap it to enter, exit, and reload money on the cards.

The wax museum had tons of celebrities, then Olympic stars, Sherlock Holmes activity (we did not do), a historic amusement ride, Star Wars characters, marvel characters and a movie of marvel characters in 4D. Afterwards we were in two groups again that separated into 3 groups. Myself and a friend went to see the Sherlock Holmes museum around the corner as others went to the British museum early. We ended up only seeing the gift shop of the Sherlock Holmes museum because it had tons of cool souvenirs and show memorabilia. Afterwards we got lunch at a local small fast food place next to the British museum. The service and food there was great for the price as London tends to be expensive. We then proceeded to join everyone else inside the museum.

Walking into the museum was mind blowing because of the giant columns and sheer size of the structure. We regrouped with 3 people and then split groups as one went to a wood block talk and me and my other friend went to explore the many rooms and levels of the museum. After getting completely lost in all the history and  the vast size of the museum we all met back up at the exhibit we had scheduled for the American Pop art. This was personally a favorite for the museums exhibits as it covered a wide range of mediums and a wide range of detail in the work itself. Seeing Albers color study’s were a favorite of mine as well inside this exhibit.

After the British museum we split up and a group of us went back to the hotel to charge our phones and rest. For dinner most of us had gone to a place around the clever from the hotel and they had delicious food, we sat at 4 tables and enjoyed a long laid back dinner. At the end someone had found a baby bunny outside the window cowering in the corner of the outside of the restaurant. Now we are on a busy street with no close by park visible so we had no idea how it got there. We ended up rescuing it and after spending time with it we set it free in a park that we found not far away. We all hung out afterwards and tried to blog before bed but with everything so exciting going on it’s become a stretch to do on time! 🙂 

Today we visited the natural history museum and I was in heaven. They had an amazing geology exhibit. I enjoyed seeing all of the rocks and minerals, especially with their large scale. We also decided to go walk through the butterfly tent that was located outside. We were able to get some really nice photos with the butterflies which was awesome. Experiencing both of these things was really enjoyable because I draw inspiration from nature in my paintings. I also bought a really cool book on herbs from the gift shop which I intend to use as a reference when I start to work on my senior studio project.

The Design museum was probably my favorite destination on this trip because of their exhibition “California: Designing Freedom”. My mind was blown because even though this was an American exhibition, it would not have had the same curation or thematic integrity in the US. Freedom comes in many shapes and forms, and as an African-American in the US it doesn’t always feel that way. This exhibition however highlighted not only the incredible design that came out of California, but exposed works that moved social progression. I felt a strong personal connection to the works, because many are usually seen as “too controversial” in the US. Seeing these works reaffirmed my hopes that there is a group of people who believe in progression and can recognize stable change.

When we left the exhibition, we created an interesting logo that represents our design family. I loved this exercise, because it was a fun way to show our relationship which I think really developed more on this trip. I chose to substitute the “0” with the London underground symbol, and points that almost mapped out the London routes to represent our progression. For me, it also shows the connectivity that we all have together and how this trip is a huge bonding experience. Today was one of my favorite and it makes me sad to think this trip is almost halfway over.

We had two things planned today: the Design Museum and going to the theater to see Wicked. We went to see the California: Design and Freedom exhibition at the Design Museum. Having the opportunity to see technological advances and history of design in an exhibition was really awesome and really helpful in understanding the design culture in California and US.

Wicked was AH-MAZIIING. The set of the entire play was well-made and detailed. The acting, vocal performances — everything — were just great. Galinda was my favorite character. I am very grateful and enlightened now that I get to learn all about musical theaater, to see an auditorium, to see the actual play itself, and to see how everything unfolds together. I will cherish the memory forever, and I will go to more musical shows, if I can.

I consider myself uncultured on culture — of design, technology, and theater performance. After today, at least I can say I’m a bit more cultured.